Lies, Guys, and Crying Eyes
by sofagogo
Summary: "She pulled off her coat, and threw it behind her. In the cold night she was burning." Another year, another prophecy, another Percy-you-should-have-just-told-her novella.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"You have got to be kidding me," Annabeth stepped out of the cab and onto the grass beside the road as her notes from Advanced Topics of Accounting fluttered down around her.

"Hey, you owe me twenty bucks!" the cab driver yelled through the divider, "That was a long trip."

Annabeth straightened up and ran a hand through her curly blonde hair, "Twenty bucks? What- it's always been fifteen."

"Well rates have gone up. You can't expect a guy to drive to Long Island for fifteen dollars with gas prices higher than hell."

Annabeth resisted the urge to correct him on his religious mix-up, but she had better things to worry about. Like the fact that she only had fifteen dollars.

"Well, you should've warned me. I only have fifteen."

The cab driver looked like he was about to murder her. And Annabeth was not keen on being murdered. Instead she threw the cash into the car, shut the door, and started climbing up the hill.

She didn't mind the distant, "Fuck you!" from the driver side window. It was her fault, after all.

At least she was home. She could already see the fires burning and the smell of sweat and blood and lean meat was enough to make her cry. Today had been one of the worst days ever. The bus she took into the city broke down long enough that she was late for her first class of the day. She had managed to get to Accounting on time, but then totally bombed that "easy" open-note test the professor had advertised for the past week and a half. It was enough to make a daughter of Athena wish she'd never enrolled at NYU. And that's saying something.

Annabeth followed the familiar path down into the valley. It was late afternoon, almost dinnertime and Piper was hauling weapons to the tool shed.

Annabeth set down her bag, "You need some help, Piper?"

Piper looked up as if she hadn't seen Annabeth, though they'd made eye contact moments before, "Oh, hey! Nah, I don't." 

"You're sure?" 

"Yeah, of course!" Piper laughed, almost disingenuously.

Annabeth watched as she lumbered towards the tool shed, wiping sweat out of her eyes. Piper had always been one to turn down help. She was an individualist. How that would help her in the future, Annabeth had no idea. But it was strange that Piper had turned down an opportunity to talk to Annabeth, especially after she hadn't seen her all day. They had become very close, bonding over boys and politics and feminism. They would often take ladies nights in Manhattan, hanging at coffee shops or shopping at the cheap department stores in the tourist district. Piper was honest to a fault and very protective, Annabeth loved her for that.

Shaking her head, Annabeth shouldered her bag and trudged to her cabin. Where was everyone? Where was Percy? She needed to vent to someone, after all.

By the time she reached her cabin it was thirty minutes til dinner. Christian was lying on his back, painting the bottom of his upper bunk with a mural of sorts. His twin sister, Christina, was typing on her laptop. They were the cabin's youngest residents at six years old, and they still hadn't adjusted to their new life at camp. They didn't want to participate in activities and make friends, they just wanted to be alone. Unfortunately, this meant that they weren't getting real life battle experience like the other kids. They were dangerously unprepared if something were to come up.

Annabeth set her bag on the floor and rummaged through her trunk for a coat. It had been getting steadily colder all afternoon and the windchill coming off Long Island Sound was practically unbearable.

"Where is everyone?" 

Christina rolled her eyes, "Some meeting. No little kids allowed."  
Well, that made more sense. 

"I wonder why I wasn't notified," Annabeth checked her watch, "Do you know what time it started?" 

"5:30." said Christian, not pausing in his brushstroke.  
Annabeth frowned. The majority of the camp in one place and no one had told her about it? It seemed monumentally suspicious. 

She shook her head. Percy would have called her if it was anything truly important.

"Well, you two get dressed and we'll walk to dinner together. Is that cool?"  
Annabeth was supposed to be forming connections with younger campers, after all and the twins needed all the help they could get. Christian and Christina instantly set down what they were doing and grabbed their coats, looking excited to be walking out with an older counselor. Annabeth made a mental note to set aside more time for them in the future. She'd forgotten how young they were. They were lost and probably still pretty scared. They needed her.

As they walked, their breath turned to smoke. Annabeth took their hands and they gripped them tightly. She was reminded of her little brothers at home asleep in California. These kids were just as related to her as those two. They seemed so intelligent, but so innocent. It gave her hope for a future… for her own children.

They were, after all, in a time of peace now. It was reasonable that she and Percy could get married, could have children, and could lead a normal life. They'd suffered so much it was surely well deserved. _Stop it, Annabeth._ She couldn't help chastising herself. Thoughts like those weren't meant for people like her. Especially not after she'd made her final decision last week on how to handle her current situation. She hadn't even told Percy about that one. Add that to the list of things she needed to talk to him about tonight.

As they neared the pavilion, Annabeth watched campers stream out of the Big House. How they'd all fit around that Ping pong table Annabeth didn't know.

She watched for Percy to walk out and head for dinner, but he didn't come. Where was he? The longer she didn't speak to him, the more she wondered if she hadn't made the right choice. She wanted to talk to him, to hold him, to promise him a future. Now that she had all these thoughts in her head she wanted to pour them out. Percy was her one outlet. The one person she could talk to about anything without being judged. He loved her unconditionally.

Annabeth made her way to the Athena table and sat down at the head as always. Campers stared at her, confused as to where she'd been all day.

Allison, a 14 year old with distinctive red hair, looked genuinely concerned, "Where have you been all day? Why weren't you at the meeting?"

Annabeth raised her eyebrows, "I was in class. Was it something serious?"

"Well.. I mean I can't talk about it here in front of everyone. I'll tell you later." 

But at that moment Annabeth lost interest. Because Percy had walked out of the Big House, and he was crying.

-

It wouldn't have been terribly obvious if Annabeth hadn't been staring at him. His eyes were just a little too red, his cheeks were pink and his hair was overly messy, as if he'd run his hands through it one too many times. He walked with purpose, as if to get away from all the prying eyes, and stared at the ground, pausing only to wipe his nose on his shirt sleeve every few seconds.

Annabeth had seen him cry before, but nothing like this. It had always been a tear, maybe two, that he'd quickly wiped away and forgotten about. This was nothing like that.  
Annabeth scrambled from her seat and followed him. He was walking fast, almost jogging, and he was tall enough that it would take a while for Annabeth to catch up. He headed into the woods, then veered right. _He's heading for the water_ , Annabeth smiled sadly, _Just like he always does_. He emerged onto the bank of the inlet and kneeled in the sand, picking up shells and tossing them into the water.

Annabeth walked silently up to him, all the training of a spy, and tapped him on the shoulder. He swung around as if threatened, but then instantly looked away when he saw it was her. 

She kneeled next to him and joined him in his throwing of shells. They sat silent for a moment, and then, "Percy, what's going on?" 

He looked over at her, as if he'd forgotten she was there, "What- nothing.. I was just.. Had a weird day." 

"What was that meeting about?" 

He shook his head and stared back over the water, "Updates in camp policy stuff. The usual crap they're all trying to stuff down our throats."

"Oh." Annabeth was confused. Why would he be crying? Unless… he found out. Oh no. She had to tell him now. Of course he was upset. Of course he didn't want to talk to her. Of course-

"Annabeth?" Percy was staring at her, "You look terrified."

She felt terrified. "I have something I need to tell you."

He stared at her for only a moment and then looked away again, solemnly, as if someone had died, "Yeah, I have something to tell you, too."

He knew. He completely knew. Why else would he be so upset?

Annabeth looked over at him through tearful eyes, "I'm so sorry, Percy. I meant to tell you, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm so sorry. Oh gods, it's my fault. I'm so sorry, Percy."

She covered her face with her hands as if to block it all out, the sounds, the noise, the pieces of her world falling apart around her.

"Sorry about what?" It echoed in her head like a dream.

He was testing her. She'd been such an idiot. She should've told him from the beginning.

"For the baby, Percy. The baby."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

That's when he started to really sob like nothing Annabeth had ever seen. It wasn't the way she would go about it, with screaming and anger, it was pure sadness, rolling down his cheeks and in his hair. Soundless. Instead of turning of him ugly, it made him even more beautiful.

"I'm sorry." She couldn't stop saying it. It was all her fault, "I'm so sorry I hid it from you. I am."

He stared at her, a tear-stained face, "How far along are you?"

Annabeth felt like screaming. Why? Why? Why did it have to be her?

"3 months," she stuttered, "But don't worry. I've already talk to my doctor and I'm gonna have the operation next week and it'll be…"

Percy grabbed her hands, "Don't you dare. Please don't, Annabeth. Please."

"Look how upset you are!" she whispered, "We made a mistake it can be fixed."

He ran his hand over his eyes, "Gods, no. Annabeth that's not what I'm upset about! I didn't know about that."

He didn't know? Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the gods.

"I love you so much," Annabeth whispered, leaning into kiss him, but he gently pushed her back.

"Annabeth, I…" he looked away again, back to the water which seemed to be his one source of comfort, "I don't know how to say this, but I um think we need to end it. That's what I needed to tell you."

Annabeth choked, "End what?"

"This. Whatever we're doing here. Okay?" He said it so fast that it was almost like he'd never said it all.

Annabeth felt her heart sink into her stomach, "What?"

He was crying again, trying to hold it back, but still going, "I can't believe I'm about to say this after what you just told me…"

And suddenly she knew, in the bottom of her heart she knew. Whatever they'd had, this baby had destroyed it.

"I never should have told you," she whispered.

"Annabeth," he looked directly into her eyes, pleading her to understand like she always did, "I'm in love with someone else."

Her heart shattered where it fell. She had nothing. Everything was gone. Suddenly, the world she'd dreamed of was in pieces and in shambles. She sat there stunned while he stared back at her. His face was the one thing she always had trusted in. She could rely on it. Never again. Never again.

"Who?"

He closed his eyes as if it hurt to say, "Rachel."

Annabeth smiled, almost imperceptibly. They'd been dating for almost two years, and yet, somehow, he'd fallen in love with another girl right in front of her. How? Why? When? Where?

"Great."

"What?" Percy looked like he was in physical pain.

"Cool," Annabeth laughed, standing up, "You are soooo cool Percy Jackson. You are such a fucking saint. 'I'm so loyal to my friends!' Bullshit! The only person you're loyal to is yourself."

He didn't even respond; he was staring at the ground. She never wanted to see that stupid, sad face ever again, but before she left she wanted him to remember her for the person she was.

"I trusted you with my life, heart and soul," she smiled, tears filling her eyes without her knowing it, "And all you did was fuck around and throw me out to dry. But let me tell you something, if this baby _is_ ever born, it will know about every fucking way you hurt me. And maybe for once in my life, it will be the one thing that stands by me through everything."

He sat there in the sand, knees to his chest, hands over his eyes, crying. And for once it didn't hurt to watch. Instead she kicked at the dune, showering him with sand.

She whipped around, her hair blowing into her face, "You promised, Percy Jackson. You promised."

He stared up at her, his face red. Not looking so gorgeous anymore, "Where are you going?"

"California," she grimaced, "So you can have that red-haired bitch all to yourself."

As she marched toward her cabin to grab her things and call her father, she wondered what life would be now. Meaningless? Most likely.

She pulled off her coat, and threw it behind her. In the cold night she was burning.


End file.
